First Christian Church to House Missouri Job Center

This article was originally published in The News Tribune on July 28, 2026 by Maddie Madison

A long-vacant section of First Christian Church Disciples of Christ will soon become a place where job seekers and employers can connect, as the congregation partners with Missouri Workforce Development to open a Missouri Job Center in downtown Jefferson City.

The church has approved dedicating the entire second floor of its Education Wing, about 3,000 square feet, for the new center, which is expected to open Sept. 1. Once operational, it will become Missouri’s 20th job center, serving Jefferson City and Cole County with employment services, career planning and workforce resources.

For Senior Pastor Michael Dunn, the project began with a question: How could the church put its unused space to work for the community?

When Dunn arrived at First Christian Church about four years ago from Houston, he learned the church’s former preschool space had been sitting vacant since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, church leaders have been on what Dunn described as an “intentional exploration” of how to use the building in a way that serves the community while being good stewards of the resource.

The idea gained traction through conversations with Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce President Gary Plummer, who also serves on the workforce development board. Dunn said he had been discussing possible community uses for the space with Plummer when the board was preparing to establish a new job center in Jefferson City.

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More information on the opening of the Jefferson City Job Center will be available soon.